W

Water

One of the five elements in traditional
Indian cosmology, the others being
earth, fire, wind, and akasha. In some
philosophical schools, each of the ele-
ments is paired with one of the senses;
here water is associated with taste.
Within the body, water is also associated
with certain bodily functions, especially
reproduction (involving the mixing of
fluids) and the elimination of fluid
wastes.

Wednesday

(Budhvar) The fourth dayof the week,
the presiding planet of which is
Mercury (Budh). Although not inauspi-
cious, the day has few strong associa-
tions and is not linked to the worshipof
any major deity. The planet Mercury is
seen as an auspicious but weak planet,
based on its small size and its quick
rotation around the sun.

Week, Structure of

The Hindu week has seven days, just
like the European calendar. Each of the
days has a presiding planet, is associat-
ed with one or more presiding deities,
and (in keeping with the general Indian
attitude toward time) is deemed more
or less auspicious. The most unlucky
days are Tuesdayand Saturday, associ-
ated respectively with the planets Mars
and Saturn. Monday (the moon),
Thursday(Jupiter), and Friday(Venus)
are usually regarded as auspicious days
since these are judged to be benevolent
and powerful planets. Sunday(the sun)
and Wednesday (Mercury) have no
strong associations, because although

these bodies are seen as benevolent,

they are also seen as relatively weak in

their influence.

West Bengal

Modern Indian state. It was formed after

Indian independence in 1947, after the

partition of the state of Bengal into West

Bengal and West Pakistan, the latter now

known as Bangladesh. Most of the state

lies in the lowland of the GangesRiver

delta, although in the north, Darjeeling

extends into the Himalayas. West

Bengal’s capital, Calcutta, was the

administrative center of British India

until the beginning of the twentieth cen-

tury. It was also a hotbed of anti-British

resistance and has remained one

of India’s great artistic and intellectual

centers. West Bengal has a number

of important religious sites: Kalighat, in

the heart of Calcutta, and Dakshi-

neshwar, Tarakeshvar, Tarapith, and

Navadvip. For general information

about West Bengal and all the regions of

India, an accessible reference is

Christine Nivin et al., India, 8th ed.,

Lonely Planet, 1998.

West Indies

A cluster of Caribbean islands with a sig-

nificant Hindu diaspora population. As

in many other cases, they were originally

brought to the West Indies as indentured

agricultural laborers, particularly on

the sugar plantations, but have now

lived there so long that they have

become a part of the local community.

On some of the islands, particularly

Trinidad, Hindus have constructed

temples and established sacred

sites (tirthas) there, as a way of con-

necting their religious lives to their

local environment.

White Yajur Veda

Along with the Black Yajur Veda, this is

one of the two major forms of the Yajur

Veda, one of the oldest Hindu religious

texts. The major difference between

these two forms comes from the

White Yajur Veda